Roller leveler



R. F. HOLTZ ROLLER LEVELER Dec. 25, 1945.

3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 2, 1944 v mmvron v -cl 7'. W n 0 R. F. HOLTZ ROLLER LEVELER Dec. 25, 1945.

5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed June 2, 1944 INVENTOR. f we; BY

PatentedDec. 25, 1945 UNITED --STAT1ES- PATENT oFFic v Raymond F. Bolts, Canonsbnrg, Pa., assignor' to Edward W. You, Dormant, Pa.

application June 2, 1944, Serial No. 538,446

6 Claims. (01. 153-54) This invention relates to roller levelers for straightening sheets and plates of high tensile alloys and other metals or the like andit is among the objects thereof to provide a roller leveler in which the straightening rolls are mounted on endless chains to travel with the sheet to be leveled and in which the working pressure on the rolls is distributed axially over the entire length of contact of the work piece with the roll.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a roller leveler in which the rolls are supported or backed up along their full length to prevent flexing and distortion of the rolls during the leveling process, thereby providing a true straight cylinder for contacting the sheet to be straightened.

It is still another object of the invention to provide a roller leveler in which thehollow leveling rolls are journaled at each end on bearing pinsthat are mounted on spaced roller chains, there being an upper and lower set of chains and leveling rolls, which are relatively adjustable vertically to accommodate the gauge of the sheets tobeleveled.

It is still a further object of the invention to provide a roller leveler structure of a strong and durable character embodying a minimum of wearing parts and which provides for adjustment of the tension ofthe roller chains.

These and other objects of the invention will become more apparent from a consideration of the accompanying drawings constituting a part hereof, in which like reference characters designate like parts,'and in which Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a roller leveler embodying the principles of this invention;

Fig. 2 a cross-sectional view of the roller leveler taken along the line 2--2, Fig. 3;

Fig. 3 a front elevational view thereof;

Fig. 4 a side elevational view;

Fig. 5 a rear elevational view;

-Flg. 6 a front elevational view, partially in section, of the roller drive shafts and roller chains partially broken away;

r Fig. 7 a top plan view of a cradle support! Fig. 8 a front elevational view thereof;

Fig. 9 an end elevational view of the cradle shown in Figs. '1 and 8; and

Fig. 10 a cross-sectional view, partially in elevation, taken along the line Ill-Ill, Fig. 8.

with reference to the several figures of the drawings. the structure therein'illustrated comprises a base I. having side frames 2 mounted thereon and a connecting yoke 3 at the top thereof, the base I forming an extension beyond the side frames, as shown in Fig. 3, for mounting a drive motor and transmission mechanism 4 and 5. A side bracket 6, extending on one side of the side frame members, constitutes a support for a drive transmission I from which a pair of drive shafts 8. and 9 extend and on which are mounted roller chain sprocket wheels l0 and II having sprocket chains l2 and [3 for driving shafts l4 and I5 as shown in Figs. 1 and 4.

. Shafts l4 and are provided with sprocket wheels Hi and H for engaging chains l8- and I8a that are connected to similar wheels on shafts l9 and 20, chains l8 and I8a having rods 2| connected thereacross for journaling leveler rollers 22 as shown in Fig. 6. It is to be noted that the leveler rolls 22 are joumaled at their ends on bearings 23 mounted on the cross rods 2| and are freely rotatable thereon.

The lower shafts l5 and 20 are journaled in a cradle 24, Figs. '7 to 10 inclusive, having lugs 25 for receiving a fulcrum pin 26. The cradle 24 is supported on a complementary shaped saddle '21 to be tiltable thereon by means of link 28 which is movable by hand wheel 29. The saddle 21 is adjustable vertically in ways 30provided in the side frames by means of a wedge 3| movable by the hand wheel 32. Shafts l9 and 20 are journaled in bearing blocks Mia and 20a which are adjustable as shown in Fig. 4 to maintain tension on the roller chains l8 and 18a.

Pressure blocks 33 and 34 are mounted to constitute supports for the leveler rolls 22 when in working contact with the material to be straightened; the supporting member 34 being mounted on the cradle 24 and the member 33 being mounted to the yoke as is more clearly shown in Fig. 4. Tables 36 and 31 are provided for supporting the material which enters the pass constituted by the leveler rolls at one end in the direction of travel of the leveler rolls, which may be assumed to be from left to right as viewed in Figs. 2 and 4. As shown in Fig. 4 an indicator 33 is movable over a scale 39 to indicate the position of the cradle to which it may be adjusted through its movement on the saddle by actuating the hand wheel 29. The vertical position of the cradle as effected by adjustment of thewedge 3| through hand wheel 32 is indicated by the indicator 4!] on the scale 4|. The speed of the transmission 1 is adjustable by means of the hand wheel 42, Fig. 1.

The operation of the above-described apparatus is briefly as follows. The sheet to be leveled is placed on the support 36 and enters what may the chains. The rollers are actuated by contact with the back-up pressure blocks 33 and 34 while moving over the surface thereof, and the leveling pressure of the rolls 22 is exerted on the sheet as it passes between the staggered rolls which are held against displacement by the pressure.

blocks 33 and 34.

Since the rollers are moving bodily irr-the direction of the work and are revolving at a rate in which the peripheral speed of the rolls is. the

same as the lineal speed of the work or sheet acted upon, the forces exerted on the-sheet will in the main be in a direction normal to the surface of the sheet. The position of the rollers flexes the sheet in opposite directions as it passes through the successive leveling rollers'to relieve the distorting strains.

. The backing plates 33 and 34 support the rollers along their full length of contact with the sheet to be leveled and there can .be no. bending or flexing of the rolls, which maintain a true cylindrical form. By adjustment of the cradle in the saddle 21 by means of the fulcrum 26 and the vertical adjustment of the saddle and cradle as indicated on the scales 39 and 4|, respectively,

the operator may effect a predetermined setting of the cradle to bring about the desired correction for straightening the sheets when the leveling rolls act upon it during its passage between the rolls from the charging end 36 to the discharge station 31.

Although one embodiment of the invention has been herein illustrated and described, it will be evident to those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made in the details of construction without departing from the principles herein set forth.

I claim:

1. A sheet roller leveler comprising in combination a plurality of superposed laterally spaced sprocket chains having journal pins extending across and connected to said chains, leveling rollers journaled on said pins, said chain rollers constituting a pass between the upper and lower rolls for the sheets to be straightened, backing plates of a width to support substantially the full length of the leveler rolls constituting pressure abutments for the bottom rolls of the upper chains and the top rolls of the lower chains, means for varying the tension on said roller chains, means for adjusting said upper and lower rollers relative to each other, and drive mechanism for said upper and lower chains.-

2. A sheet roller leveler comprising a plurality of vertically and laterally spaced shafts journaled to be adjustable in a vertical and longitudinal direction, sprocket wheels on said shafts and drive mechanism for driving one of the'upper and one of the lower shafts, sprocket chains connecting the spaced upper sprocket wheels and sprocket chains connecting the spaced lower sprocket wheels, said wheels and chains being in vertical alinement, journal pins connected across spaced pairs of said sprocket chains, leveler rollers mounted on said journal pins and a pair of backing plates vertically spaced in the path. of travel of the rolls of the upper and lowerchains to form a pass for said rollers and constituting pressure abutments for the rollers when they contact the sheet to be straightened, said plates being of a width corresponding to the length of the rollers and said rollers having bearing contact with the journal pins of said sprocket chains.

3. In a sheet roller leveler, a pair of lower laterally spaced shafts, one of which is journaled for adjustment to vary the axial spacing between said shafts, a pair of upp v shafts, one of which is adjustable to vary center distance with the other of said shafts, said lower shafts being journaled to be adjustable vertically relative to said upper shafts, sprocket wheels mounted on said shafts in axial spaced relation, sprocket chains engaging a wheel of each ofsaid pairs of upper and lower shafts so that the major length of the chains is movable in a substantial horizontal plane, journal pins having their ends mounted in said chains extending axially parallel with the axes .of said shafts, leveling rollers journaledon said pins, a pair of backing plates, one each for the lower strand of the upper set of leveling rolls and one each for the upper strand of the lower set of backing rolls, said .backing plates constituting pressure abutments for the'full length of said leveling rolls, and means for actuating one of each of said pairs of vertically spaced shafts to actuate the drive chains.

4. Ina'sheet roller leveler, a cradle, a saddle therefor, a plurality of shafts journaled co-axially in said cradle, a yoke suspended above said cradle having a plurality of shafts vertically spaced in register with said first-named shafts, sprocket.

wheels on said shafts, roller chains around said sprocket wheels and leveler rollers connected to the links of said chains and extending across a pair of chains, a pressure block disposed between the upper and lower strands of said chains for engagementwith the rollers on the working strand of said chains, means fortilting said cradle, and means independent of said tilting means for ad-,

-justing thegvertical position of said cradle relaone of said shafts being movable in a longitudinal plane, a pair of parallel shaftsmounted in the yoke, one of which is movable in a longitudinal plane, sprocket wheels axially spaced on said shafts, roller chains on said sprocket wheels, leveling rolls having spindles connected at their ends to the links of said chains, said spindles having journals for supporting the ends vof leveler rolls, and back-up plates for said leveler rolls of a width to support the rolls along their entire length, said back-up plates constituting tracks for said leveling rolls to subject the rolls to rotary movement when passing in between said back-up plates to thereby advance the sheet material passing between the mils at a rate faster than the travel of the roller chains.

6. In a roller leveler, a supporting frame including side frames having a yoke extending thereacross, roller chains mounted in said yoke having leveler rolls journaled on pins connected across the links of said chains, the number of links determining the number of rolls, a saddle slidably mounted inthe side frames, a cradle mounted in said saddle, shafts journaled in said cradle having axially spaced sprocket wheels, chains on said wheels having rollers supported on pins extending across said chains, one shaft of said cradle and yoke being movable relative to the other of said shafts to vary the tension on the roller chains, said saddle being adjustable vertically to vary the spacing of the cooperating leveier rolls and said cradle being tiltably mounted to vary the relative spacing of the rolls from RAYMOND I". HOUIZ. 

